YEAR 5 CURRICULUM
Out of This World
Is there any other life out there in space? What if our world were different? What will the future hold for us all? As scientists we will be discovering the relationship between the Earth, Sun and Moon; comparing planet sizes and their order and discovering the Earth’s place in the solar system. We will experience the wonders of space during a visit from the Sciencedome.
As artists, we experiment with different techniques and materials and consider light, shape and space. We then create mixed media pieces depicting our own fictional planets, inspired by artists such as Peter Thorpe.
As readers and writers we will delve into the majesty of the Science Fiction genre, opening our minds to endless possibilities and author imaginations. We also write space documentaries which are recorded and shown at Parents' Evening.
Groovy Greeks
What was life like through the timeline of Ancient Greece? How different were the roles of women, men and children? As Historians we will be researching the life and legacies of a young Greek Soldier. The children will discover how he lived (housing, education, food); what he believed in (gods, legends, democracy) and how he fought (Athenian/Spartan soldiers).
As readers we will look at Greek myths and legends, including Theseus and the Minotaur and the Twelve Labours or Heracles. We will then take inspiration from these stories to create play scripts which we will then perform in groups. For our non-fiction unit, we will be researching similarities and differences between Athens and Sparta which we will then use to write an explanation of life in Ancient Greece. We hope to arrange another visit from an inspirational local author, Sam Gayton, who wrote Hercufleas.

WW2

We will be discovering how the people of Brighton and Hove were affected by the Second World War by exploring concepts such as: rationing, bombing, evacuations and adjustments to home life. We will visit our very own Air raid shelters and have talks from local evacuees and build modernised Anderson shelters in DT.
As writers we will be looking at the book ‘Friend or Foe’ by Michael Murporgo. This book focuses on evacuation. We will be letter writing, creating a radio broadcast, looking a persuasive writing and debating morals within the story.
After Easter our book focus is ‘Number the Stars’ by Lois Lowry. This book looks at the war in Denmark from the perspective of a young Danish girl and her Jewish friend. We will be writing, newspaper reports, diary entries, a cine broadcast and a narrative story resistance story.
During the Brighton Festival in May, Year 5 will display examples of their writing and artwork at Take Shelter for members of the public to enjoy.
Rivers and the Amazon
As Geographers we will be finding out about the Amazon River and comparing this to our local river, the River Cuckmere. We will be using maps to locate areas and using the information we have discovered to build our own 3D relief maps of South America. Through map work and research, we will learn about river features and the effects they have on the landscape. We will look at the water cycle, how rivers erode, transport and deposit materials and characteristics of a river system.
As writers we look at the book 'The Exporer' by Katherine Rundell. The children will write their own Amazonzian adventure story and write some Non-Chronological reports on the rainforest.